Weekend At Picacho

Last weekend, B Troop participated in the annual Civil War in the Southwest at Picacho Peak State Park, just north of Tucson, Arizona.  This was the site of a skirmish between a Confederate picket and a Union cavalry patrol.  It is billed as, The Westernmost Battle of the Civil War.  It wasn't much of a battle, though.  However, there were a couple of large battles in New Mexico that are also re-enacted at Picacho Peak every year.

Sunrise from our camp. 

As usual, it was a mix of good fun and brutally hard work.  We left Fort Huachuca at 1 PM on Friday and drove the two hours to Picacho Peak to set up our camp.  The next day we participated in three battles at 11 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3 PM.  We had to keep a close eye on the horses as they get dehydrated an often suffer elevated heart rates.  I would check them after each battle to see if they were OK.  If they had excessively high respiration rates, I would swap them out for a fresh horse.  We got through the battles OK and then had a big steak dinner prepared by our Chinese cook, Hop Sing (he is really a Japanese-American, but likes to be called after the Bonanza character).  After dinner we relaxed around the campfire and relived our battle exploits of the day and had our "naming" ceremony, where each trooper gets their B Troop nickname.  The names selected this year were, Pistol Pete, Turbo Foot, Kick Stand, Mighty Mouse, and Elmer Fudd.  Each name comes with a story, of course.

The mess tent.

On Sunday, we did it all over again, but had to strike camp after the last battle and make the drive back to Fort Huachuca.  We got back at about 7 PM.  We unloaded and fed the horses, stored the weapons, and then left the rest of the stuff to be unloaded later. My wife left us pulled pork sandwiches and coleslaw so we didn't have to drive home starving (and so she wouldn't have to make food for me when I got home). As always, everyone enjoyed the weekend and are looking forward to next year.

Waiting for breakfast and trying to shake off the morning chill at the fire pit.  

Campaign Saddle Training

Well, four of our six students have survived the first phase of the Cavalry Riding School and are eager to get on with the next phase.  Today, we worked on how to build a campaign saddle and put it on a horse.  To give them hands-on training I disassembled my own saddle and then asked the students to put it back together.  I also went over how to clean each individual item on the saddle.  



After the students successfully reassembled the saddle, we found a couple of volunteers out in the pasture so we could practice putting the campaign tack on a horse.  I went through the process of putting the halter and bridle on and showed how all the tack fits together and is correctly configured.

After that we went over horse illnesses and how to treat minor injuries and who to notify in the case of more serious injuries. We even went over how to put a pressure bandage on a horse's leg so that they could do that when necessary.  Since they are being assigned their own horse for the rest of training, they were excited about all this information.

Finally, to wrap up the day, we issued uniforms to the new recruits and showed them how to put everything on.

Looking forward to the next phase of training.  

Posting the Colors

Yesterday and today, we were supposed to be the color guard for the opening ceremonies at the Cochise College Rodeo on Fort Huachuca.  It is one of the regional competitions for the colleges that have a rodeo team.  The Cochise College Rodeo is held every year at Fort Huachuca and is the only one held on a military installation.

I wasn't supposed to be in the color guard yesterday, but one of the riders became ill and I had to replace him.  We had a team of six riders carrying four flags; the American flag, the Arizona flag, the Army flag, and the Troop guidon.  We also had one of our Lady's Auxiliary members singing the national anthem.  I was riding Apache, the Wonder Beast, and carrying the national colors even though I knew it would be a challenging task.

As we were lining up to make our entrance, Apache began fidgeting and spinning around seeking an escape. There was a large tree next to the gate with branches hanging over the entrance.  I was holding an 8-foot staff with a spear point on it.  The spear point kept getting hung up in the trees every time Apache spun around, so I was trying to disentangle the pole from the tree while trying to keep him from fleeing the scene.

Finally, our entrance cue came and we walked into the arena.  I say walked, but Apache was already galloping before we even transitioned to the trot.  I think Pete, our First Sergeant, actually ordered a canter, but it turned out to be a good 15 mph gallop. I was to the left of Pete, who was leading the formation, and the rest of the team followed in a column of twos.

I had shortened my reins to the point where the back of my left hand was nearly touching the back of Apache's neck.  As we galloped into the arena, I held him back with all the strength I had.  We were supposed to circle the arena once (it is 200 x 400 feet), slow down to a trot, and then form into a line in front of the bleachers.  We learned from years of experience that you can not ride right next to the rail as the horses will spook at the banners, steers, broncs, rodeo cowboys, and other scary things on the other side.  Thus, Pete led us a good thirty feet off the fence as we rounded the arena.  Since we weren't following the rail, he had to tell me when he was going to turn, otherwise we would have become separated from each other.  However, Apache and I were able to stay right on his side with only a couple of feet between my stirrup and his.

Thankfully, we finally made it around before the strength in my left arm gave out.  Once we stopped, Apache calmed right down and I was able to concentrate on working the cramps out of my thighs as Anastasia sang the anthem.  Once the anthem was complete, we got the cue to exit the arena, which we did at the trot.  Or, at least everyone else was trotting.  The second we exited the arena they released the first bronc from the bucking chute.  The other riders remarked that I should keep Apache from watching so he wouldn't get any new ideas.  Apache was so fascinated by what was going on in the arena that we trotted sideways down the road that passed behind it so he could watch the event.
I never knew that Apache was a rodeo fan.

Horse Control

Last Saturday, the students progressed to riding a military horsemanship pattern in the practice arena. We try to teach three fundamental skills during the first phase of training; balance, control in a group, and control in a solo pattern.  The bareback portion helps them with balance, but control is more difficult to achieve.  Riding a horse solo involves different control problems then when riding as a group.

Riding as a group involves riding in a circle and maintaining the correct distance between each horse. Depending on the horse, the student may have trouble slowing the horse down or speeding him up. Changing the direction of travel (clockwise or counterclockwise) may change the dynamic depending on which horse is at the front of the line.  A higher ranking horse may object to having a lower ranking horse in front and may try to pass it in the line. Also, a slow horse up front will cause the line to scrunch up while a fast horse will string the line out.  All these dynamics require the student to control his horse in both speed and direction.

Riding a solo pattern is a different exercise, but still requires the student to master both speed and direction. Without the distraction of moving in concert with other horses, the rider must now compel his horse  to perform based solely on his cues and can't rely on his horse just following the other horses. The biggest challenge in this case is maintaining the required gait and riding a complete and round circle.

Both exercises in horse control require a great deal of concentration from the rider and often frustrates them as the horse seemingly does everything, but what they want them to do.  However, they usually get to a point where the "light comes on," and they suddenly understand how to control their mount.  

New Riding School

B Troop typically holds two riding schools each year.  One in the winter and one in the summer.  We just began a new class on 6 February.  We usually have trouble finding enough recruits to fill out the class, but this year we actually had to turn some people away.  We are really only able to handle four students at a time, but we went ahead and took six (although one of them had to quit already due to a job schedule change).

The students with instructors Pete (left end of line) and Jay (right end of line) .

 We are in the first phase of training where we teach riding basics.  Most recruits have little or no riding experience, so we give them a crash course in basic riding.  Of course, they aren't riding your typical school horse, but an Army war horse, which makes it all much more challenging.

We have school three times per week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  I always like the Saturday classes because there is plenty of daylight and it is warm.  At night, I have to rig up some work lights to illuminate the arena.

Today, we worked on riding bareback in column and in a circle.  The students are asked to control their horse at a walk, trot, and gallop.  I have to keep an eye on all of them simultaneously to look for someone losing control or losing balance and adjust the gait before someone comes off.  I had a student take a spill on Thursday night and sprain her wrist.  Thus, she had to watch the lesson from the ground today.

Riding in a column of twos while bareback.

Today, everyone managed to stay on their horses, although a few got close to coming off.  They did a pretty good job considering that two weeks ago they didn't know anything about riding and now they are galloping bareback.

After the lesson, a few of the experienced riders rode over to Wren arena to practice for the opening ceremonies of the Cochise College rodeo.  We gallop around the arena with the colors while one of our Ladies Auxiliary members sings the anthem.  Our First Sergeant, Pete, thought he'd try Ruger, one of our young and wild horses. There were people working on the arena fence, so it was a good chance to expose the horses to the distractions of things going on around the arena.  I tried to keep my horse parallel to Ruger as we galloped around the arena, but Ruger was doing all kinds of strange things with his head and legs, so I kept a little bit of a distance.  We eventually decided that Ruger wasn't quite ready for the rodeo and needed more training in galloping in formation. It was a fun practice, though, and it has been ages since we rode in the arena.

Ruger--1,300 pounds of love and joy.

Fort Lowell Again

It has been a long time since I posted on this blog and it is time to start again.  There are too many interesting things going on in the cavalry world.

Yesterday, B Troop participated in Fort Lowell Days as we do every year.  It is an event held at Fort Lowell Park in Tucson, Arizona as part of an effort to promote the history of the old Army post and the surrounding neighborhood.  Fort Lowell has an interesting history both before and after it was shut down in 1891.  It was from this fort that Captain Samuel Marmaduke Whitside rode out and established Fort Huachuca in 1877.

Anastasia putting a sidesaddle on Journey.

B Troop brought six riders and three cannoneers to put on a historic presentation at Fort Lowell.  Our stable call was at 0600 and we departed Fort Huachuca at 0700.  Arriving at Fort Lowell at about 0830, we unloaded the horses and began setting up our arena.  Four of the troopers headed over to the San Pedro chapel to provide a saber arch for a procession into the chapel, but they were back at about 1030.  Meanwhile, the artillery crew and I set up the portable arena for the riding demonstration.

Upon returning, Ruger spooked for some reason and broke free from the trailer and ran around the field for a couple minutes with all his campaign tack still on.  He circled the trailer two or three times and then came to a stop next to the rest of the horses as if nothing had ever happened.  He broke the strap on his leather halter, but otherwise nothing else was damaged.

One of our lady riders rode around the park in sidesaddle, wearing a period authentic dress and let people know that we were about to start our demonstrations.  She looked fantastic and soon a sizable group came to watch us.

After lunch, the cannon crew gave a great presentation on the procedures for firing our 1840 mountain howitzer.  The rest of us untied the horses from the trailer and held them while the cannon went off.  None of the horses spooked, but it is better to have a man hold the horse, so it is less likely to panic then if tied to something.

The cannon crew getting ready for their demonstration.

After the cannon demo, we put on a mounted drill demonstration in our arena.  The crowd enjoyed it and then we set up some jumps and targets and gave a saber and pistol demonstration.  All the horses did pretty well.  Blade was fired off of for the first time in years, but did well.  Blade had developed a dislike of gunfire at the Picacho Peak re-enactment a couple years ago and we have been slowly getting him accustomed to the sound ever since.  He protested a little at first, but eventually became OK with it.  We had fitted him with earplugs to make it easier for him.

We finally finished around 1500 and headed back to Fort Huachuca.  The horses were all drenched in sweat as they still have their winter coats and it is much warmer in Tucson than at Fort Huachuca.  We got all the horses taken care of and unloaded all the equipment and cleaned weapons.  We signed off the arms room at 1840 and sat on the porch and discussed the day for a piece before heading home.  A long, but successful day.

Boone & Khyber Update

Boone and Martina

We are still working with Boone and Khyber on a regular basis.  Both horses went to a trainer for a few weeks to settle them down and make them easier to work with.  Khyber was the favorite of the trainer and was much easier to work with than Boone.  

Boone had to leave training early due to a persistent lameness in his right hock which we finally assessed.  He had some residual arthritis in the joint due to an injury he suffered getting out of the trailer when he arrived earlier in the year.  He was given a steroid shot to ease the pain, but eventually we are hoping that the joint will fuse and he will no longer feel pain.  If it doesn't fuse, we can help it along with another injection that will fuse it for him.  

Both horses tend to buck when unhappy, but Boone was the more aggressive in this.  Martina has been working with him very patiently for weeks and he is progressing well.  Today, however, he resumed some of his bucking behavior, which may be a sign that the hock is hurting again or that he is just getting bored with the routine.  Neither he or Khyber really didn't want to work today, so it may have just been a mood issue.  

We will take our time with them and bring them on slowly.  Neither are particularly concerned about obstacles or training pistols.  Considering how spooky they were when they arrived, it is amazing to see how calm they are now.  Much of the credit belongs to Martina, who's persistence and patience has helped both horses adapt to their new environment.